Groups to share $2.7M from R.I. Dept. of Health to support health

PROVIDENCE – Approximately $2.7 million has been awarded to the state Department of Health’s division of community, family health and equity to fund 11 nonprofit organizations and local governments to support health initiatives.

The funding, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, will be used to create “Health Equity Zones” – defined geographic areas where high rates of obesity, illness, injury, chronic disease or other adverse health outcomes will be improved by coordinated strategies to reduce and manage chronic diseases, promote healthy lifestyles, improve birth outcomes, assure healthy child development and create environments where healthy choices are easier to make.

The funding will support initiatives over a three- to four-year period, and was distributed to:

  • The Annemberg Institute, Providence Children and Youth Cabinet, which will focus on improving maternal and child health outcomes, particularly for families with children birth to 8 years of age.
  • The town of Bristol will begin its first year of funding by organizing a collaborative and conducting a baseline assessment of the needs of low- to moderate-income and elderly residents.
  • The Environmental Justice League of Rhode Island, which will build on the work of an existing collaborative to address healthy housing, maternal health outcomes, asthma, diabetes, healthy food and nutrition, mental and behavioral health, violence prevention and access to care. It also will offer mobile health clinic services in neighborhoods.
  • The Local Initiatives Support Corp., which will expand an existing collaborative, conduct a guided visioning exercise, update health assessments, conduct a community listening tour, hold a meeting to engage residents in action teams, implement low-cost, high-efficiency “Early Action Projects” and develop a plan. The plan will address housing, nutrition and fresh foods, access to health care and mental health services, job readiness, transportation, parks and libraries, education and child care.
  • The North Providence School Department, which will start with the Marieville neighborhood and needs of students and their extended families by addressing the physical environment, safe routes to school, greener school yards, affordable fruits and vegetables, asthma, obesity, mental and behavioral health, tobacco use and exposure, substance abuse and violence. It will expand the focus to other neighborhoods within the city in subsequent years.
  • Olneyville Housing Corp., which will focus on increasing healthy behaviors, reducing criminal activity, improving the environment and increasing employment skills of residents.
  • The city of Providence’s Healthy Communities Office, which will focus on areas surrounding the city’s recreation centers, and increasing access to tobacco-free environments. Efforts will be made to reduce youth access to tobacco; increase access to healthy food and beverage options, implement community gardens, increase the number of meals served by the Providence Summer Food Service Program; and increase access to physical activity opportunities through a year-round city-wide recreation plan.
  • South County Hospital will address childhood obesity and mental health, collect data in high-poverty areas and implement healthy food access and healthy childhood development programming.
  • Thundermist Health Associates in West Warwick, which will focus on opening new access points to healthy food for residents and increasing physical activity among residents; reducing the impact of substance abuse; reducing the impact of trauma and toxic stress; and reducing teen births by connecting teens with primary health care and access to contraception.
  • Thundermist Health Associates in Woonsocket, which will focus on increasing healthy eating and physical activity among residents; reducing the negative impact of substance abuse on individuals, families and the community; improving safety and reducing the impact of trauma on the community; and reducing the teen birth rate.
  • Women’s Resource Center of Newport & Bristol will build on an ongoing needs assessment process in high-poverty areas with an initial focus on domestic violence.

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